EuPD Research, a German market research company, recently surveyed more than 1,000 homeowners in Germany and found that are ready to invest in solar PV. Around 5% the respondents said that they have already decided to buy PV systems, while another 15% said that they are close to a final purchasing decision, which means that they are currently in the process of obtaining offers or seeking advice.
The survey participants said that they want to invest in PV to reduce their electricity costs, while contributing to the protection of the environment. This is followed by a desire to benefit from the state-guaranteed feed-in tariff. For homeowners who want to go solar with a medium-term perspective, there is also a great deal of uncertainty as to whether they will still benefit from solar subsidies in view of the existing 52 GW subsidy cap.
According to EuPD Research, this limit could be reached as early as July of this year. Once the cap is reached, no new PV systems up to 750 kW will be subsidized under the current German renewable energy law (EEG). There could be a strong impact on private homeowners if the cap is not abolished beforehand, analysts say.
The segment for small systems up to 10 kW is a major market driver in Germany. It grew by 45% last year, with around 581 MW of newly deployed systems. At the beginning of the year – specifically in January and February – there was also additional growth. EuPD Research said that the coronavirus crisis has yet to show any adverse impact on this segment of the market.
An earlier EuPD Research survey of German PV installers suggested that homeowners fear a sharp slump in the deployment of commercial and industrial PV systems due to the 52 GW cap. Commercial investors are the most important driver of PV demand in Germany.